Suddenly, the ground becomes something to avoid. A bridge becomes a safe zone. A mound becomes an island. A pathway becomes a challenge. Children naturally create their own routes, testing balance, movement and imagination along the way. That is something Urban Play thinks about every day.

Urban Play thinks beyond play equipment and focuses on the play experience. In partnership with SLR Consulting and Interface Landscapes, Endeavour Park at Flourish South Maclean reflects a collaborative design approach where play is considered as part of the landscape from the very beginning. It is the type of space that encourages children to move and play in imaginative ways, and where a game of The Floor is Lava comes naturally. 

PLAYING TOGETHER, ACROSS AGES AND ABILITIES

Considering children of different ages and abilities is part of every conversation Urban Play has. As play consultants, their role is to create spaces where everyone can engage with the landscape in a meaningful way, recognising that everyone experiences play differently. Through collaboration with play partners Moduplay, Keibel Leisure and Rokotopus, the play experiences at Endeavour Park were carefully selected to support inclusive, imaginative play while complementing the surrounding landscape. Elements such as the roller slide, basket swing and dual mouse wheel weren't chosen simply as standalone pieces of equipment, but for the different ways they encourage movement, social connection and accessibility.

DESIGNING PERMISSION TO PLAY

Urban Play believes Play is everything and everything is Play. The team want to create spaces that give children permission to explore. The contrasting timber totems, vibrant colour palette and integrated artwork at Endeavour Park transform features that could traditionally be “look but don’t touch” into opportunities for interaction. The design details carry through the landscape, with patterns reflected in play zones, while the changing topography, mounds and climbing elements create a layered experience of movement and discovery. The changing terrain creates natural opportunities for children to avoid the “lava”, turning the landscape itself into part of the game.

THE POWER OF PLAY

What if more public spaces were designed with this mindset? Not around the quickest route from A to B, but around the moments in between. Because the best playgrounds don’t tell children how to play, they invite them to imagine what’s possible. So, when every mound becomes an island, every log a balance beam and every pathway a new adventure, maybe designing as if the floor is lava isn’t just a playful idea after all.

Urban Play believes these moments are created through thoughtful play design, working alongside landscape architects and project partners to shape environments where play is embedded into the landscape from the beginning. The result is a space where children don’t just interact with play elements but discover a world of possibilities waiting to be explored.

Visit Urban Play to learn more